What smoking does to your loved ones

Passive smoking, or inhaling the smoke from someone else's cigarettes, can cause a headache, cough, sore throat, dizziness, nausea and other symptoms. Smoking in pregnancy increases the risk of low birth weight, cot death and asthma in young children. Long-term exposure puts adults at greater risk of heart disease and a higher risk of lung cancer.

Smoking and pregnancy

There’s no better reason to quit smoking than when you’re expecting.

Babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy are three times as prone to sudden infant death syndrome or cot death. They’re more likely to be underweight and at risk of chest diseases. Having parents who smoke is associated with reduced growth in children and poorer development in reading and maths up to the age of 16 or beyond.

The effects of smoking on your children

Children who live with parents or siblings who smoke are up to 3 times more likely to become smokers themselves than children of non-smoking households.

What’s more, children who are frequently exposed to cigarette smoke are at increased risk of developing asthma, respiratory disease, sudden infant death syndrome (cot death) and chest infections.